Football

The Ohio State Buckeyes ran the Tennessee Volunteers off the field during the College Football Playoff on Saturday night ... and one ESPN commentator had an interesting take on the game.

ESPN offered an alternate broadcast of the playoff game, hosted on ESPN 2, starring the cast of "The Pat McAfee Show." McAfee and his crew are one of the most popular draws to "The Worldwide Leader," known for their humorous takes on sports topics, and at times, controversial comments.

Well, the latter was on full display in the second quarter, when McAfee turned to one of his main honchos, Boston Connor, to see how Tennessee fans were reacting after being down 21-0.

Armani Latimer -- the Cowboys cheerleader who danced without a wig earlier this month -- tells TMZ Sports she's thrilled with the way her performance has brought awareness to alopecia.

Latimer explained to us this week that the national conversation she kicked up by cheering on the Cowboys against the Bengals on Dec. 9 at AT&T Stadium while bald has warmed her heart.

She says the responses she's seen have all been mostly positive ... and some people have even approached her to tell her about how it helped them learn more about the autoimmune disorder that causes hair loss.

Three-time NBA champion Danny Green is fired up for his alma mater's football team ... telling TMZ Sports he really thinks Bill Belichick can turn UNC around.

The former New England Patriots head man stunned the sports world this month when he took the Tar Heels coaching job ... and while some are skeptical he can effectively make the turn from the pros to college, Green made it clear to us out at LAX he's not in that camp.

"I'm on board," said the 37-year-old -- who attended UNC from 2005 through 2009. "I'm all about it. I think it's great."

Travis Hunter can only blame himself for his relationship being a hot topic -- at least that's what Nate Burleson is saying ... 'cause he tells TMZ Sports the Heisman winner could've avoided all the criticism if he just kept quiet about his private life.

The Colorado superstar and his fiancée, Leanna, have been forced to defend themselves from the haters recently ... following months of piling on from folks on the internet.

Burleson weighed in on the drama out in NYC this week ... and he politely pointed out the engaged couple brought it on themselves.

Texans wide receiver Tank Dell had to be carted off the field Saturday ... after suffering a bad injury while catching a touchdown pass.

The Houston standout was playing in Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs ... running a deep route into the endzone early in the second half of the game.

Quarterback C.J. Stroud threw a perfect pass to Dell, falling right into his arms ... but, his teammate Jared Wayne was right next to him and dove for the ball -- his body slamming full force into Dell's leg.

Nina Thomas -- the estranged wife of Earl Thomas -- was hit with multiple criminal charges this week ... after prosecutors say she swindled the ex-Seattle Seahawks star out of millions of dollars.

Court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, show feds allege Nina began her scheme to illegally take cash from her former lover in Sept. 2021 -- a short time after she filed for divorce from him in 2020.

Officials accuse Nina and another person -- whose name is redacted in the docs -- of taking money and property from Earl without his knowledge ... and transferring it into bank accounts under their control.

Taylor Swift is feeling the holiday spirit ... dressing up in a bright red furry coat while arriving at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City to support her man.

The singer-songwriter pulled up to the Chiefs game against the Houston Texans just a little while ago ... stepping out of the customary golf cart looking like Mrs. Claus in the coat and black bucket hat.

She looks real warm in her ensemble ... good news since it's currently just 33 degrees in Kansas City -- and expected to get even chillier as the day goes on.

James Conner -- an Arizona Cardinals superstar who's beaten cancer -- is offering up advice to Randy Moss as he faces his own battle with the disease ... telling TMZ Sports the Hall of Famer should make it a priority to lean on his loved ones.

Conner was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in 2015 when he was a college running back at the University of Pittsburgh ... but he ended up beating it, and he's since gone on to have a hell of an NFL career.

This week -- while he was out at a Raising Cane's bike giveaway charity event -- he told us he was praying for Moss ... while encouraging the ex-Minnesota Vikings receiver to stay positive.

Even though Daniel Jones and the New York Giants broke up, he still has love for his old linemen -- as the team's former first-round draft pick still provided some holiday cheer to the big guys up front!!

ESPN's Jordan Raanan reported the current Vikings backup quarterback sent his former O-line limited-edition bottles of Clase Azul Tequila -- a super-nice gesture, especially considering he was essentially kicked to the curb in the Big Apple.

While it's unknown how much the 27-year-old dropped in total ... these spirits don't come cheap -- as some bottles have quite the hefty price tags. But the team did owe him $35.5 million this year, so it probably didn't affect the wallet too much!

Bow Wow learned a valuable lesson in social media on Thursday ... 'cause the rapper fell for a fake Instagram comment involving Travis Hunter's fiancée -- prompting him to give a passionate plea to the Heisman Trophy winner.

For those who don't live on the internet, there's a popular parody X account -- @TheNBACentel -- which pretends to give up-to-date information on all things hoop ... and usually, it's pretty funny stuff masked as actual news.

Several notable figures have fallen victim to the hi-jinks ... and Shad Moss was the latest to get duped after the infamous profile shared an edited snap of Hunter's partner, Leanna, putting a money emoji under Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards' picture -- a reference to the gold digger claims she's faced (and denied) in recent months.

A bunch of quarterbacks are getting their linemen gifts this week, but Joe Burrow's presents to his boys were simply a cut above the rest ... as he got them all swords!!

The Athletic's Paul Dehner Jr. reported on Thursday night that the Bengals signal-caller scored some "authentic Japanese Katana swords" for Cincinnati's big men -- and let each one pick out their own.

"They are all unique," Dehner Jr. reported. "Each sword comes with its own story, from certain towns or battles."

Rest easy, Dolphins fans ... Tyreek Hill says he doesn't want to go anywhere anytime soon -- telling reporters his "Time for me to go coach" social media post wasn't what it seemed like.

The star wide receiver sent the Miami faithful into a panic Wednesday morning after sharing the ominous tweet ... which, if read a certain way, certainly sounded like he was hoping to get traded out of Florida.

Hill cleared the air at the team facility on Thursday ... explaining the actual message he was trying to convey in his post.

Michael Penix Jr. went from buying in bulk to being the main guy in Atlanta ... with the quarterback revealing he found out he was getting the Falcons' starting gig while shopping at Costco.

The Washington product chatted with reporters a day after it was announced Kirk Cousins was getting benched ... and he painted a pretty vivid picture of what it was like when he got the call while buying groceries.

"As you can imagine, there were some nerves, there was some excitement," he said. "But I'm just super blessed to be in this position. Super blessed to be on this on this team for the opportunity."

Tom Brady got in a swole sesh with his dawgs this week -- and we mean that literally ... with the seven-time Super Bowl champion taking his furry pals to the gym in Miami!!

The legendary quarterback and FOX Sports analyst was out and about in Florida ... with his four-legged friends in tow as he left a workout.

Speaking of legs, it's clear TB12 ain't neglecting his lower limbs ... 'cause he put his chiseled gams on full display as he rocked a pair of black short shorts.

It ain't extra reps, workouts or practice time that's got Josh Allen ballin' out this season ... no, according to the Bills quarterback, it's love!!

The Buffalo superstar admitted to The Associated Press this week that his relationship with Hailee Steinfeld has helped him elevate his game to a whole 'nother level.

"She’s been a huge part," he said of the singer/actress. "The morale, the support. When I get home, she’s my biggest fan, my biggest supporter. She’s just the best."

Some of the New York Jets' recent front office moves were not based in reality, but off a video game -- at least, that's what one report is stating ... with Woody Johnson allegedly rejecting a trade for Jerry Jeudy due to the star receiver's 'Madden' rating.

The allegation is one of many laid out in a negative feature focused on Johnson in The Athletic ... which details how several anonymous players and staffers really feel about the guy.

The main takeaway is how most folks disagree with Johnson's decision-making ... and the most surprising example is when the Jets were close to landing the now-Cleveland Browns star before the Johnson & Johnson heir got involved.